Buckley and Scott Fricker were killed by their teenage daughter’s ex-boyfriend on December 22, 2017. After discovering that he was spreading anti-Semitic views online, they tried to protect their daughter and keep hate out of their home. But the young man had easy access to a firearm, and he used it to kill Buckley and Scott in the middle of the night, just days before Christmas, in their own home.
Buckley and I met when we were 13 years old, and we remained close friends for more than 20 years. She was a devoted, compassionate and generous friend. I miss her dearly every day.
Virginia law must be changed. There is comprehensive gun legislation pending now in the state that would, among other things, enhance the punishment for allowing a child access to a loaded, unsecured firearm and raise the age of a child from 14 to 18. If this law was in effect in 2017, Buckley and Scott might be alive today.